1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a text editing support apparatus which supports editing of text and is applied to a word processor or the like which composes sentences using a computer or the like.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Today devices for sentence formation, typically word processors, are in wide use for composing sentences. Initially, the word processor functioned merely to input sentences and provide a relatively simple text layout, but, recently, systems providing support for composing sentences have been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publications Nos. Sho. 63-103373 (1988) and Hei. 4-17059 (1992) disclose apparatuses supporting syntactic aspects of composition.
The document formation apparatus disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-103373 (1988) comprises a check order means for issuing an order to check the length of sentences; a calculation means for inspecting a prepared document and calculating the sentence length of sentences in the document; a decision means for deciding whether any of the sentence lengths calculated by the calculation means is more than a predetermined length; and an indication means for indicating the decision results thereby making it possible to inform the user of the presence of excessively lengthy sentences, i.e., sentences which exceed the predetermined length for the prepared document, and helps the user to make the shorter sentences in rewriting this document.
The document formation apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 4-17059 (1992) comprises a counting means for counting the number of input characters; a means for deciding whether an input character is a punctuation mark; and a character count setting means for setting a maximum number of characters permitted between any two punctuation marks. This apparatus gives an alarm when a punctuation mark is not input within the predetermined number of characters, whereby the user may review the input sentence and insert punctuation marks where they are required.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-288962 (1990) discloses a document preparation support apparatus which warns the user of missing punctuation marks. The apparatus comprises a morphological element analysis means which, in a language with no overt marking of word breaks makes a word list by analyzing sentences into word units; a sentence structure analysis means which makes a clause list by analyzing the sentences into clause units in accordance with the word list; and a missing punctuation indication means for assessing the clause list for clauses containing breaks and pointing out the breaks as positions where punctuation is missing. That is, the document preparation support apparatus points out positions where punctuation is missing in a document in which the punctuation marks are not inserted properly.
Apparatuses disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publications Nos. Hei. 2-62656 (1990) and Hei. 3-160561 (1991) are proposed to support an expression within a sentence in text.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-62656 (1990) discloses a Japanese document elaboration support apparatus which comprises an ill-formed expression detecting means for detecting a portion containing an ill-formed expression which requires to be elaborated and for determining the type of the ill-formed expression; an ill-formed expression rule dictionary for storing rules for detecting ill-formed expressions; and a means generating a warning message corresponding to the detected ill-formed expression and the type thereof. The Japanese document elaboration support apparatus enables the user to be informed of the presence of the ill-formed expression and to correct the ill-formed expression, thus maintaining quality for the document.
Another Japanese document elaboration support apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 3-160561 (1991) comprises a dependent relationship construction means which constructs a data expression showing the dependent relationship between the probability of an ill-formed expression and a result of analysis of modification; a control means which resolves ambiguities in the analysis of the modification concerning the properness of the ill-formed expression with reference to the dependent relationship data and which removes improbable cases from the data of the probability of ill-formed expressions; and a modification determination means which determines whether a specific modification relationship is probable based either on rules of modification determination which are stored in a dictionary, or on a responce to an inquiry to the user. The Japanese document elaboration support apparatus can suggest rewritten examples for the ill-formed expression on a sentence level, which makes it possible to elaborate the input sentences efficiently.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Nos. Hei. 2-297150 (1990) and Hei. 3-15972 (1991) disclose apparatuses which support modification of sentences displaying the relationship of sentence modification to a sentence.
A document processing apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-297150 (1990) comprises a sentence analysis means; a sentence generation means; a structure generation means for generating information showing structures of sentences, a display means for displaying the information showing the structures of the sentences; and an input means for inputting editorial information for editing the information showing the structure of the sentences. This apparatus displays the structure of the modification relationship by sentence structure diagrams and the result of the editing using the diagrams is reflected in the original sentences.
Another document processing apparatus, disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 3-15972, (1991) comprises a dictionary means for storing information for analyzing sentences; a sentence analysis means for analyzing a sentence using information stored in the dictionary means and deciding the modification relationship between words and phrases constituting the sentence; a modification information holding means for information about modification relationships obtained from the decision result of the sentence analysis means; a sentence structure diagram formation means for forming a diagram which shows the sentence structure held in a sentence holding means in accordance with the modification relationship; and a display means for displaying the sentence structure diagram.
The apparatus can display modification relationships with "modifying" or "modified" inserted between words or phrases of the sentence in a sentence diagram, whereby the user of the apparatus is able to visually grasp the sentence structure.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Nos. Sho. 62-284457 (1987) and Sho. 62-284459 (1987) disclose apparatuses which support overall sentence construction by proposing a prepared pattern in accordance with the purpose of the document.
The document preparation supporting apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 62-284457 (1987) comprises an input means for inputting purpose sentence of a document; a purpose sentence analysis means for analyzing the purpose sentence and for abstracting key data; a memory means for storing text corresponding to combinations of the key data; a detection means for detecting text corresponding to the combination of key data from the memory means; and an expansion means for expanding sentences by selecting appropriate parts in accordance with the key data.
By utilizing this document preparation supporting apparatus, the contents of the document can be altered in accordance with the purpose of the document when it is formed.
The document preparation supporting apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 62-284459 (1987) comprises a requirement analysis means for analyzing an input sentence describing the purpose of the text generation and abstracting requirement items, and an item generation means for extracting document item data corresponding to the abstracted requirement items from a memory means and generating the items required to prepare the document. This apparatus is capable of proposing items which should be included in the document, thus simplifying the document preparation.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-66665 (1988) discloses a document analysis and arrangement restructuring apparatus which abstracts overall features of a document such as the field of application, background, problem or purpose from key word information using a key word dictionary, and supports rearrangement of the text structure. The document analysis and restructuring apparatus comprises a key word dictionary for storing key words concerning the expansion of the contents of a document; an abstracting means for abstracting key words from document data referring to the key word dictionary; a hierarchical structure analysis means for forming a hierarchical structure consisting of chapters, paragraphs or the like in the document data based on syntactic characteristics, an expansion structure control means for forming a text structure for the contents of the document data based on the hierarchical structure; and a memory means for storing the text structure. Use of the apparatus facilitates changing the text structure. Documents in various styles can also be formed easily in conformance with a conversion rule once a single set of document data has been prepared.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-27473 (1990) discloses a document elaboration support apparatus which analyzes the structure of input text such as chapters, paragraphs and captions, and supports elaboration of the sentences utilizing the analysis result. The apparatus a text structure analysis means for analyzing the structure of text data; a structure memory means for storing the text structure; an elaboration rule dictionary prescribing elaborations; an elaboration process means for elaborating text data based on the text structures and elaboration rule dictionary; and an output means for outputting and displaying the result of the elaboration process. The document elaboration support apparatus is capable of elaborating complicated text and reduces the user burden in the elaboration of text.
The natural language processing apparatus disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 3-22083 (1991) analyzes the connective relationship between paragraphs, which may contain plural sentences, in a document and points out incomprehensible parts during the development of points of arguments, or amends them.
The document preparation apparatus disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 4-55975 (1992) analyzes the connection between sentences using a dictionary for sentence elaboration mainly consisting of information about morphological elements, and investigates inappropriate parts in the sentences to support proofreading.
Furthermore, there are document editing apparatuses called outline processors capable of easily structuring sentences from a logical aspect by editing the logical structure of text to form a tree diagram.
Systems for these apparatuses are, for example, More II for the Apple Macintosh or View Cards for the Fuji Xerox J-Star.
The document editing apparatus disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-82541 (1988) converts the interrelationship between sentences into a structure diagram and displays it, which makes it possible to edit the overall structure in broader aspects.
However, the apparatuses or systems for document elaboration described above mainly support the elaboration of finished documents except for the apparatuses supporting the elaboration from the syntactic aspects, and therefore they do not provide positive support for the writing operation itself.
For example, the natural language processing apparatus disclosed by the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 3-22083 (1991) analyzes the connective relationship between paragraphs, which may have plural sentences, and points out the incomprehensible parts, that is, the object of the operation is a document already input. Since the techniques described in the above-mentioned publications have been suggested for automatic analysis of an existing input sentence and to present or revise incomprehensible or incorrect points, they cannot provide editing support during the formation of sentence structures.
The outline processor described above is provided for supporting the formation of text structures in the editing process, but it cannot positively support the formation of the text structures though it provides a framework for text structure formation.
In the case of writing, generally, though the overall structure is determined in advance such that the text is divided into parts such as "Introduction", "Main discourse", "Conclusion". The inner structure of each part depends upon the text content; therefore, the inner structure cannot be determined until the contents of the text have been fully considered.
Accordingly the prior art on text editing generally relates to text written after an outline is completely determined.
In fact, there are many cases where the writer discovers flaws in the structure after beginning the writing operation. In such cases, the outline must be modified and then the text rewritten, and this process may be repeated many times.
The revision work is carried out because, while writing, the writer develops new ideas or the outline structure is progressively fixed. Even if the sentence structure is determined first, rewriting is frequently required due to unnatural linkages between sentences, incorrect outline structure, the inclusion of new material, or the like.
In the case where sentences are composed on a bottom-up basis as described above with use of a conventional document editing apparatus such as an outline processor or word processor. The writer cannot consider the structure of the whole text while writing. As a result, the structure of the whole text actually written deviates from the intended structure.